1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a base structure for roller skates.
2. Description of the Related Art
The wheels of a typical roller skate are fixed to an underside of the roller skate, and the user has to wear a pair of shoes (generally sport shoes) before putting the roller skates on. The user cannot walk on rugged surfaces when wearing the roller skates. Thus, the user faces troublesome actions of putting on and taking off of the roller skates when he/she starts or stops skating.
Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 339688 issued on Sep. 1, 1998 discloses a roller skate includes a base and a number of wheels that can be pivoted to storage positions in the base such that the user may directly walk through rugged surfaces without troublesome actions of taking off and re-putting on of the roller skates. However, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the base 1 includes a number of shoulder sections 2 to which the wheel seats 3 may bear against. The shoulder sections 2 and the overall base 1 must be made of rigid material to support the user. As a result, the user feels uncomfortable when standing on the rigid base. In addition, the wheel assemblies are mounted to the base 1 via an interior of an upper 4 that limits assembly of the wheel assemblies.
Furthermore, when walking on an inclined surface, one of the wheel seats 3 might be pivoted into the storage compartment 4 in the base 1. The wheel seats 3 might also be pivoted into the storage compartments 4 if they impinge objects on the ground. The skater might be injured as a result of losing balance.
The present invention is intended to provide a base structure for roller skates that mitigates and/or obviates the above problems.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a base structure for roller skates in which the wheels may be stored in the base structure, and assembly of the base structure is easy to accomplish.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a base structure for roller skates that causes no uncomfortable feeling to the user during wearing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roller skate having two wheel assemblies that can be moved to the storage positions when not in use and that can be retained in operative statuses when skating.
A base structure for a roller skate in accordance with the present invention comprises a base having at least two compartments, a bottom plate secured to the base, and a corresponding number of wheel assemblies each of which is mounted in an associated compartment. The bottom plate includes a number of blocks formed on the underside thereof, each block being received in an associated compartment. Each wheel assembly includes a pivotal seat having a first end secured to the underside of the bottom plate, a wheel seat having a first end pivotally connected to a second end of the pivotal seat, and a wheel rotatably mounted to a second end of the wheel seat. Each wheel seat may be pivoted to a storage position in the associated compartment when not in use. When skating is required, each wheel seat is pivoted to an operative position, in which each wheel seat bears against an underside of an associated block while the wheel rotatably attached to each wheel seat extends beyond the base for skating.
The base may be made of resilient and shock-absorbing material as the base merely accommodates the wheel assemblies. In addition, assembly of the base structure can be finished before attaching the shoe upper to avoid assembly of the wheel assemblies via the interior of the shoe upper.
A base structure for a roller skate in accordance with the present invention comprises:
a pivotal seat having a first end secured to a base of the roller skate and a second end,
a wheel seat having a first end pivotally connected to the second end of the pivotal seat by a pin and a second end;
a wheel rotatably mounted to the second end of the wheel seat, the wheel seat further including a mounting member;
a first elastic member having a first end attached to the pivotal seat and a second end attached to the mounting member of the wheel seat for biasing the wheel seat to a storage position in the base;
a stopping means including a first end mounted to the pin and a second end through which the mounting member is extended, the stopping means further including a stop; and
a second elastic member mounted around the pin for biasing the stop of the stopping means to a position for releasably engaging with the wheel seat to prevent the wheel seat from moving into the storage position in the base.
By such arrangement, the wheel seat may be moved into the base when not skating. When skating is required, the wheel seat and the wheel are extended beyond the base, and the stop may prevent the wheel seat from entering the base during skating, thereby preventing potential injury to the skater.